Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a transport bag for a conveying apparatus, a conveying apparatus, a method for opening a transport bag, and a method for closing a transport bag.
European patent document EP 2 130 968 B1 discloses a transport bag substantially consisting of two walls that are connected at an upper end via a bracket to each other, on which a suspension apparatus is used for suspension in a rail of a conveying apparatus. The bottom ends of the bag walls are connected to each other via a coupling, which can be actuated via an actuating mechanism arranged at the upper end of one of the bag walls in order to couple the bottom ends of the walls to each other for transporting an item. A bag is thus formed in the mutually coupled state. The walls of the bag are separated from each other for unloading so that the item transported in the transport bag can fall out in the downward direction.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to a transport bag, a conveying apparatus, and a method for opening and closing such a transport bag with which an even further simplified opening and closing of the transport bag at the bottom end is achieved.
The transport bag in accordance with the invention comprises a first bag wall, a second bag wall, and a suspension apparatus arranged at an upper end of one of the bag walls. Closing elements, which can reversibly be coupled to each other, are arranged at a bottom end of the bag walls, which is remote from the suspension apparatus, with which the bottom ends of the bag walls which can be connected to each other form a bag base that closes the transport bag at the bottom.
The closing elements are formed as latching strips that can be latched onto each other and are oriented away from each other and in parallel to each other. The latching strips are displaceable from a mutually latched transport position, which closes the transport bag at the bottom end to an unlatching position by relative displacement against each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the latching strips, in which the latching strips can be released from each other at the bottom end for opening the transport bag.
Such a transport bag can be opened in the downward direction and reclosed in a relatively simple way. This also leads to an unloading process of the transport bag that can be carried out in a simple way.
Inadvertent opening of the transport bag is further reliably prevented by forming the closing elements as latching strips that can be latched onto each other and are displaceable in the longitudinal direction relative to each other.
At the same time, the displacement of the latching strips with respect to each other in the longitudinal direction of the latching strips provides a particularly simple unlatching and therefore very simple opening of the transport bag in the downward direction.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least two latching elements are arranged on the first latching strip, which latching elements are spaced from each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the latching strip and which are retained in latching recesses of the second latching strip in the mutually latched state of the latching strips, which are spaced from each other in the direction of their longitudinal axis.
This allows simple latching of the latching elements in the latching recesses. Unlatching is achieved by a linear displacing movement of the latching strips.
The latching strips are formed in an equally long way according to an advantageous embodiment. The first latching strip, in the state when latched to the second latching strip, is arranged in the direction of its longitudinal axis in a parallel offset manner in relation to the second latching strip.
The offset amount of the parallel offset of the latching strips is preferably between 1 cm and 10 cm, especially between 1 cm and 5 cm, thus ensuring a sufficiently stable latching in the latched state on the one hand and on the other hand a sufficient flexural stiffness of the protruding ends of the latching strips in the latched state during the unlatching process in particular.
The latching elements according to a preferred embodiment are formed as hooks and the latching recesses as an undercut.
The latching elements are C-shaped in an especially preferred manner, and the undercuts are formed to engage from behind.
The engaging around or behind the undercuts by the latching element ensures especially reliable latching of the latching strips onto each other.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, a lug is integrally formed on the first latching strip that protrudes in the direction of the second latching strip and rests in the mutually latched state of the latching strips in a recess on a lateral edge of the second latching strip facing the first latching strip, wherein the width of the recess in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the second latching strip is dimensioned in such a way that the lug is pushed out of the recesses in the case of latching strips that are displaced to the unlatching position.
This ensures reliable separation of the latching strips from each other directly after the unlatching process because the lug, after the displacement of the latching strips to the unlatching position, presses the second latching strip away from the first latching strip perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the latching strips.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, the upper ends of the walls of the bag that are close to the suspension apparatus are fastened to a rod assembly that is pivotable about a pivot axis oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the latching strips and which forms a bag filling opening. The suspension apparatus is preferably fastened to the rod assembly.
Such a rod assembly allows simple opening of the upper region of the transport bag for filling the same with the item or items to be transported.
The walls of the bag are preferably connected to each other by two foldable side walls. It can also be considered, depending on the size of the items to be conveyed, to connect the walls of the bag at the side edges merely via ropes, tapes or the like in order to prevent the transported item from laterally dropping out of the bag.
The latching strips are preferably tightly clamped to the walls of the bag. It can also be considered to sew the latching strips into pockets provided for this purpose in the walls of the bag or to fasten them in any other way.
The conveying apparatus in accordance with the invention includes one or several transport bags as described above.
An unloading station of the conveying apparatus preferably comprises two pressure stamps with a pressure surface extending perpendicularly to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the latching strips, between which the transport bag can be positioned.
At least one of the pressure stamps is displaceable in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the latching strips in such a way that the distance between the pressure stamps is variable between an insertion amount that is greater than the total length of the parallel offset latching strips in the mutually latched state and an unlatching amount which corresponds to the length of the latching strips.
Such an unloading station allows automatic unlatching of the latching strips in a simple way and thus an automated opening of the transport bag for unloading the item transported in the transport bag.
Closure of the bottom region of the transport bag occurs in an automated manner in an especially preferred way.
For this purpose, a bag closing station is provided downstream of the unloading station in the transport direction, comprising two pressure plates which can be moved towards each other perpendicularly to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the latching strips and between which the transport bag can be positioned, wherein the pressure plates are movable from a position accommodating the mutually separated latching strips between themselves to a closing position which presses the latching strips together perpendicularly to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the latching strips and which latches them together.
The pressure plates are pivotable in an especially preferred manner about a pivot axis extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the latching strips and can thus be fastened beneath the transport bags guided to the bag closing station. The transport bag can thus be guided to the engagement region of the pressure plates without touching the pressure plates. The pressure plates are then pivoted to the closing position and the latching strips of the transport bag are latched onto each other by being pressed together.
The method in accordance with the invention for opening the transport bag involves simple opening steps for opening the transport bag, which steps can be carried out in a reliable manner.
The closure of the transport bag by the method in accordance with the invention for closing the transport bag is also enabled in a simple and reliable way.